Finding Vegetarian Food in Japan – Mission Impossible or Easy as Pie?

Have you ever tried to buy or order vegetarian food in Japan? It may be a bit more difficult than you think, especially if you aren’t able to communicate freely in Japanese or if you aren’t visiting a vegetarian restaurant.

I learned that the hard way when ordering “grilled” vegetables in a small okonomiyaki joint in Wakayama, only to find the chef throwing some generous slices of pork onto the grill, and for me to cry out “Sumimaseeeen, niku wa tabemaseeen!!!” So the pork got picked out. Now, whenever ordering food, I generally say “Niku wa tabemasen” (I don’t eat meat”) when I order – just to be safe.

Since I am not a super strict vegetarian, but don’t eat meat at all meat, this lenience makes it quite easy to find meat-free food in Japan.

But what about if you don’t eat any meat or fish or any animal product at all? Then you need to be more cautious. This is my imperfect guide to finding vegetarian food in Japan and eating well, even outside the major tourist centres where vegetarian food in Japan in a bit more common.

Use Vegetarian sites to be on the safe side

Of course, using a website or an app like Happy Cow, Vegewel or  Vegemap will make your life easier when looking for vegetarian food in Japan.

It will also lead you to somewhat more touristy restaurants and keep you out of random little places where vegetarian options are available. And when you leave the big cities or tourist destinations, these apps will offer very few options… or none. However, they are your safest bet in finding vegetarian food in Japan if you are strict about your vegetarian diet, so no dashi (broth), certain sauces or the ubiquitous katsuoboshi (tuna flakes).

I understand there are varying degrees of diets and lifestyles. I have been eating a meat-free diet for many years, but I am not super strict about my food being prepared in a vegetarian kitchen, an accidental glass of wine which may have been clarified with non-vegetarian product or small amounts of fish. I even sometimes eat fish when in Japan. Therefore, you may see small amounts of fish in these pictures, so if you are super strict in your diet, this post may not serve all your requirements.

Some background on vegetarian food in Japan

Until the 19th Century Meiji Industrial Revolution, the Japanese lived a mainly vegetarian lifestyle based on rice, beans and vegetables and enjoyed what’s known as Shojin ryori. Fish was eaten, but only on special occasions.

The Meiji restoration of Imperial Rule changed all that with its pushback on Buddhism, industrial revolution, electricity and adoption of more Western lifestyles, which would include animal products.

Nowadays, Japanese food, while still quite seasonal and relatively healthy, is geared towards the omnivore, and vegetarianism is not common.

Vegetarian options in restaurants and cafes

Although few restaurants outside the vegetarian food scene have vegetarian menus, many dishes are either naturally vegetarian or vegetarian friendly.

So, when you order at a restaurant, it is best to say “Watashi wa bejitarian desu” (私はベジタリアンです) and add, just to be extra safe, that you don’t eat meat or fish “Watashi wa niku mo sakana mo tabemasen” (私は肉も魚も食べません).

Shojin Ryori 精進料理

This is your safest bit if you are strict on your vegetarian or vegan diet and want vegetarian food in Japan. The Japanese vegetarian classic, Shojin Ryori is Buddhist Cuisine following the Buddhist principle of no harm and is vegetarian, and, in most cases, vegan. You will find these restaurants most often in temples or near temples. I’ve been to the canteen-like dining hall of Ninna-ji, Restaurant Bon, for exclusively vegetarian menus, which, interestingly, were offered with plenty of alcohol, and had a temple stay at Koya-san where Shojin Ryori was served.

It is also seasonal and healthy due to the use of fresh produce and gentle cooking methods. Typical dishes are vegetable tempura, miso-flavoured soups, served with rice and pickles. Tofu and tofu skin (yuba) are often used in the dishes, especially all sorts of filling noodle soups.

More often than not, shojin ryori is prepared and served by the temple community. Although they frequently serve alcohol and plenty of it, the restaurants are often simple, a bit like oversize canteens, and usually open during the day for lunch, less so at night.

Izakaya Cuisine

Since many Japanese restaurants often specialise in one kind of dish, like ramen shops, soba shops, cutlet shops, sushi bars… the izakaya are not just ubiquitous, but many offer some great variety of fresh seasonable foods, with many vegetarian options. Usually, they do not have a vegetarian menu, but many dishes are naturally vegetarian.

Tempura is usually a safe bet, where you can ask for vegetable tempura only. Another classic is the agedashi dofu, deep fried tofu in dashi broth. Again, the dashi may be made with tuna flakes.

Izakaya also serve lots of small side dishes, pickles, salads, and often french fries/ chips. Miso glazed grilled aubergine is a very common dish. You may find vegetarian versions of yakitori (grilled skewers), usually with vegetables or rice balls and gyoza (dumplings). I am a salad and agedashi-dofu kind of person when going to an izakaya… these are served pretty much in any izakaya, no need to even try and decipher the menu.

Okonomiyaki

Ah, my comfort food favourite! Hailing from Kansai or Hiroshima, these filling pancake-like dishes are cheap and can easily be prepared in a veggie version. The standard dough has cabbage, flour, eggs, tempura scraps, and, in the Hiroshima style, noodles. Usually some protein is added in the form of pork, squid or shrimp but you can ask this to be omitted and ask for vegetable only – either look for it on the menu or say “Yasai nomi de onegaishimasu” (野菜のみでお願いします) and ask, to be safe, that you don’t want katsuboshi on top “Katsuobushi wa iranai” (鰹節はいらない).

The okonomiyaki sauce is doused with a thick brown sauce and mayonnaise. The okonomiyaki sauce is vegan, whereas Japanese mayonnaise contains egg yolk.

Very often, the cook will add katsuoboshi on top of the sauce and mayonnaise, so it’s better to say that you don’t want them. Usually, I found that in okonomiyaki joints, the cooks prepare the dish right in front and will ask you you want mayonnaise or katsuoboshi.

Sushi

In Japan, sushi primarily means raw fish, but pretty much every sushi bar has naturally vegetarian options. Ask for kappa-maki (cucumber), shinko-maki (pickled radish), natto maki (fermented soybean) umeshiso maki (pickled plum and shiso leaf), tamago nigiri (fried egg, may be made with fish stock, though), or inarizushi (tofu pockets).

The fun thing in Sushi restaurants is often figuring out the menu, which is handwritten hanging in big strip on the wall – depending on what fish is available. In places with tourists, an English menu is usually available, but often they don’t bother translating the extensive and ever-changing menu, so they will only put a few popular rolls and a couple set meals onto the English menu. So, it might be best to state that you are vegetarian and ask for the specific sushi you want.

Also, for vegetarian sushi, it might be worth considering kaiten (conveyor belt) restaurants, where you can see what you might be getting, and in general, lower to mid-priced sushi restaurants. The really pricey ones will often have fish, as in Japan, high-class sushi is pretty much associated with the freshest, finest fish.

Noodles

Soba and Udon noodles are your friend here. It is a bit more difficult to find vegetarian ramen, as the broth is almost always made with pork, even in the miso ramen variety some pork finds its way in there. There are a few vegetarian-vegan establishments like Uzu, Ippudo Plant Based Studio or Chabuzen which serve vegan ramen, but you’ll find these mostly in Tokyo or Kyoto.

Both soba (buckwheat noodles) and udon (thick wheat noodles) can be enjoyed fried or in a soup. Kitsune (fox) soba is soba noodle soup with big slices of fried tofu, and tanuki (raccoon dog) soba is a soba noodle soup with fried tempura batter bits. Again, you want check if the soup base is vegetarian – although many use kelp, they can be made with tuna flakes also.

Non-Japanese Cuisine

I am going to add the Japanese curry here. Its a relatively new arrival, brought to Japan from India during the Meiji restoration, so Another great comfort food staple. While the gravy cubes available in supermarkets are usually free from animal products, the curry in most restaurants and cafes unfortunately has beef as a base – so it’s better to ask before you order. If you want a Japanese curry, a good place to try is Co-Co Ichibanya, who offer a vegetarian version on their menu.

Vegetarian options in convenience stores and supermarkets

In general, you’ll have a much better time finding vegetarian food in supermarkets and convenience stores. Tofu, pickles, noodles are available in huge variety and great quality.

Add to that the deli counters in most supermarkets that put any Western supermarket to shame. One reason why I have so little food pictures is that a lot of my dinners in JApan were vegetarian sushi sets from supermarket deli counters.

However, when I spent some weeks in Nagasaki last year, I couldn’t find any bread liked, so I adapted the Japanese breakfast of rice and natto – bought at the local supermarket.

Another thing I love is tofu. I could eat tofu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And when I am in Japan, I buy and eat a lot of tofu, and I pair it, somewhat unconventionally, with natto and pickles, which I also love.

Since I tend to stay in relatively simple guesthouses, I often have use of a kitchen, so I save a ton of money on not having to go out for breakfast.

In general, convenience stores yield a decent choice for vegetarians, but are a bit pricier, and I find supermarket quality better in general. Great snacks to look out for are onigiri (rice balls) filled with kelp, egg sandwiches, sushi rolls (natto is popular) and cold noodle dishes.

Hidden animal products to watch out for

While it may prove a challenge and a bit of speaking Japanese or using a translator app, you will find vegetarian food in Japan. There are a few more things to look out for, which, if you are not super strict, may not affect you. This is mainly about “hidden” animal products.

I’ve already mentioned the ubiquitous katsuoboshi (tuna flakes) sprinkled on everything.

Another sticking point is dashi – the broth many vegetables and tofu are cooke din. Main ingredient is kelp, but often also katsuoboshi. You see, katsuoboshi is quite the stable in japanese cuisine.

Let’s add a few words about sauces. You are safe with okonomiyaki sauce – it is vegan, at least the industrially made versions. So is soy sauce – in principle, and you should be fine with the artisanal versions. Some big brands, like Kikkoman for example, also produce only vegan soy sauce.

Traditional soba sauce, as lovely as the soba noodles sound to a vegetarian, are not vegetarian as katsuoboshi (them again) are used in making the traditional dipping sauce for cold soba or soba soup base.

Vegetarian and Vegan Certification

What’s pretty standard in a European Supermarket is still not widely practised in Japan – the certification that products contain no animal product.

Some marks to look out for are from the Japan Vege Project. Thankfully they are both English and Japanese and easy to identify for tourists. However, they are not very widespread

Your best bit is still to take a mobile phone shot from the ingredients list, translate it and search for animal products.

Dessert: where you can go wild

So, with all that, you will not starve as a vegetarian in Japan. If you don’t want to go through the menu with a fine-toothed comb or try out your conversational Japanese by asking for animal products to be left out of your lunch, another option to dine would be to stick to supermarket food and go all out on desserts, all of which are at least vegetarian.

Jellies are basically made with Agar-agar, and the sweet mochi are made with glutinous rice flour. You may encounter some sweet condensed milk on your dessert, or eggs in Western-style cakes and buns, but apart from that, Japanese desserts, especially the traditional ones, are naturally vegan.

So I had been wondering why I didn’t have that many food pictures from my recent Japan trip…. when I looked through them again, there were tons of desserts. I didn’t deem my supermarket veg sushi pretty enough to be photographed.

To compensate, I would go to the finest dessert restaurants. You can see the matcha kakigori with matcha foam from Shimizu-Ippoen above, and more matcha kakigori and anmitsu with jelly cubes and sweet beans below from Tsukigase. Both are venerable Kyoto institutions perusing fine matcha from nearby Uji.

Anyhow, kakigori… this dessert pretty much deserves its own post.

My recent trips to Japan were all during the summer season, so kakigori was everywhere, and I made sure to eat one a day. It’s not like I have never eaten shaved ice, but Japanese shaved ice has a special quality. May it be that matcha is a popular flavour, it just tastes wonderful and it fairly light on the calories, as far as desserts go… unless you go to a fancy place where they sneak a core of buttercream in.

Accommodation recommendation with vegetarian food

I haven’t got too many, mostly because I’ve not been super strict with fish, or had the Italian breakfast of coffee and a bisquit, but here is a small selection of vegetarian-friendly places I have stayed at over the years or where I know vegetarian meals can be made available.

Kyoto

Of course, let’s start with Kyoto, my favourite city… where I indulged in Komeda’s Coffee (vegetarian sandwiches) and konbini food more than I dare to admit because there was just so much to see. Also, much of Kyoto’s cuisine is plant-based, and there are a number of vegetarian and vegan restaurants. My Kyoto recommendation is the Vegan Minshuku Sanbiki Neko, a charming modern guesthouse in the southern Higashiyama hills. Its quiet, cruelty-free and modern Japanese. Rooms are large, with japanese style futons and private bathrooms. The only drawback might be that it is a bit too far off the beaten track, so you need good legs and light luggage, or take a taxi.

Another option would be a temple lodging where you get to enjoy shojin ryori, temple activities, but may be expected to take place in some of the Buddhist services. The Chion-in Wajun Kaikan is a stylish modern hotel in a superb Higashiyama location, perfect for walking to the temples, where a stay costs less than 100 Euro for two in low season.

Tokyo

I am struggling here, despite Tokyo having more hotel beds than probably any city in Japan.

There is a very lovely-looking vintage vegan ryokan in Asakusa right next to Senso-ji called Oyado Matsumura, which has small simple tatami rooms, all with shared facilities. Expect to pay from 50 Euro per room per night, and you will need to book all meals separately at their restaurant.

My advice therefore would be to stay in a suite hotel with a kitchen, and Stay Sakura Tokyo Asakusa Edo no Mai is where I’d recommend. Very central in touristy but charming Asakusa, modern, kitchen in the suite, supermarket round the corner. Loads of food options, including vegetarian, in Asakusa.

Koyasan

A stay in a temple lodge, called shukubō (宿坊) is the classic way to enjoy some Buddhist vegetarian cuisine (Shojin ryori).

On one of my earlier trips to Japan, I stayed at Shojoshin-in Temple Lodge. This one can only be reserved directly by making a direct enquiry, but is worth the trouble as it is one of the cheaper authentic temple lodgings in Koyasan. Be prepared to pay around 15.000 JPY per person per night in a large classic tatami rooms with shared bathroom, breakfast and dinner included. It is also in the best location, right next to the path into Okunoin, so if I were to visit Koyasan again, this would be my accommodation of choice.

If you prefer to make an online booking, you might want to consider Koyasan Shukubo Fumoin ( 高野山 宿坊 普門院) which is in the centre of the village, and has a few rooms in a modern annexe, both Japanese and Western style rooms are available and most have ensuite bathrooms, with prices starting from 90 Eur per person per night including dinner and breakfast.

The Small Print

So, here goes, my imperfect post on vegetarian food in Japan, and trying to be a good vegetarian. I am a pretty adherent vegetarian at home, where I eat pretty much a vegan diet, but I am not a vegan – I’d rather call myself pescatarian because I eat fish and seafood – very rarely, but I do eat them.

This post was written as a result of my own research and various trips to Japan between 2004 and 2024, None of this is sponsored in any way, you can trust me for honest opinion and unbiased reviews. As always, I paid for all trips myself, save for a very small contribution (about 5% of cost overall) from my employer towards tuition fees on my studies in Nagasaki in 2023. I work full-time in a job unrelated to this blog. However, a small portion of my travel funds come from affiliate links to Booking.com – if you found any of this information useful and wish to support this blog, please consider booking your accommodation through any of these links when arranging your accommodation in Japan.

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